Decision details

The joint report of the Director of Central Services and the Head of Finance set out proposed fees and charges for 2026/27 for the provision of services in respect of legal costs, photocopying charges, street name and numbering, land charges, Tonbridge Castle, events on open spaces, billboards and banners and Council Tax and Business Rate court costs with effect from 1 April 2026.

In bringing forward the charging proposals consideration had been given to a range of factors, including the Borough Council’s overall financial and market positions, trading patterns, the current rate of inflation and customer feedback. A set of guiding principles for the setting of fees and charges had also been taken into account and were summarised in 4.3 of the report.

In recognition of the Borough Council’s overall financial position, the increasing challenges in achieving further expenditure savings and the importance of maximising income where possible, Cllr Boughton proposed, Cllr Taylor seconded and Cabinet

 RESOLVED:  That

(1)             the proposed charges for legal costs, as set out in 5.1 of the report, be approved with effect from 1 April 2026;

(2)             the current photocopying charges of £0.10 (inclusive of VAT) for each page of the same document or additional copies of the same page plus postage as appropriate, as set out in 5.2 of the report, be retained;

(3)             the Fee Schedule for Street Naming and Numbering, as set out in 5.3 of the report, be adopted with effect from 1 April 2026;

(4)             the proposed scale of fees for local land charges searches and enquiries, as set out in 5.4 of the report, be adopted with effect from 1 April 2026;

(5)             the proposed fees and charges for 2026/27 related to Tonbridge Castle, as set out in 5.5 of the report, be approved with effect from 1 April 2026;

(6)             the proposed fees and charges for 2026/27 related to Open Spaces and for charity and community events, as set out in 5.6.2 of the report, be approved;

(7)             authority be delegated to the Director of Central Services and Depuy Chief Executive to negotiate fees for individual commercial events on Council-owned land;

(8)             the proposed fees and charges for 2026/27 related to Billboards and Banners, as set out in 5.7.1 of the report, be approved; and

(9)             the amount of costs charged in 2026/27 to recover unpaid council tax and business rates debts remain at the 2024/25 levels, as set out in 5.8.of the report.